Cinematically, Yours
This Week’s Movie Reviews
Escher & Love

     "I fear that there is only one person in the world who could make a really good movie about my prints: myself." -M.C. Escher.      Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) wrote those words in 1969. And that is exactly what Escher is doing in M.C. ESCHER: JOURNEY TO INFINITY: he is the director, not literally but symbolically. As well as a visionary graphic artist, Escher was a sharp observer who described his observations in numerous diaries, letters, lectures and catalogues. Through his personal fears, doubts, euphoric moments and his political considerations, we watch the film through the eyes of Escher; what he saw, what he felt, what inspired him, what amazed and irritated him. We come as close as possible to meeting and understanding this great artist. "Mind-boggling...inventive, wry and enlightening." - Boston Globe. "Entrancing...a perfect encapsulation of the artfulness and ineffability of Escher's work...narrated with gusto by the actor Stephen Fry." -ArtNews

     TWO OF US, the French submission for foreign language Oscar consideration, deserves all the accolades it is receiving. It feels boldly original and features sublime acting by Barbara Sukowa, Martine Chevallier and Léa Drucker. It is the story of two women who have been secretly in love for decades. 

     Sukowa and Chevallier committed to the film at a very early stage, which allowed director and co-writer Filippo Meneghetti to craft the characters to the actors. "I wanted the characters played by actresses who are comfortable with their age while exuding strength. I didn't want audiences to perceive them as victims, but as heroines fighting for their love."

     "This finely wrought tale of love, loss, aging and the secrets we keep contains the bittersweet lessons of life itself." -Tribune News Service. [It] "succeeds as a stealthy depiction of lesbian erotics, one that mirrors the inhibitions of a generation." -The New York Times

Cinematically yours,
Rocky